A study of female entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia in the context of the Saudi 2030 vision
Abstract
The main aim of this research is to assess female entrepreneurship in light of the Saudi 2030 Vision. To bolster female entrepreneurship, Saudi 2030 Vision was followed by relaxations to various policies connected to women’s role in the society. However, although the Saudi Government invests considerable funds in the promotion of female entrepreneurship, there is still a large number of women in Saudi Arabia that are resistant to starting a new business. As a result, this research is focused on the assessment of the factors that contribute to fostering female entrepreneurship and those that cause resistance.
To achieve its aim, the current study features primary data collected through semi-structured interviews, targeted at 15 Saudi female entrepreneurs.
The main outcomes reveal that there are psychological, social, economic, bureaucratic and gender-related factors that contribute to the resistance of Saudi Arabian females to start a new business. On the other hand, the results also revealed that Saudi 2030 Vision policies contribute to the encouragement of females to engage in entrepreneurial activity, and in particular the provisions for making the market structure more conducive towards female entrepreneurship, the loosening of the restrictions imposed by the guardianship law, and a slight reduction in gender bias.